1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid-spraying devices, and more particularly, to a fluid-spraying device which includes a supply holder for the material to be sprayed and a follower in a holder with a floating or biased piston.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, various atomizer valve assemblies have been proposed and examples of such valve assemblies can be found in the following United States patents:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Patentee ______________________________________ 3,159,316 O'Donnell et al. 4,223,292 Feeney et al. 3,228,570 Steiman 3,399,836 Pechstein 3,627,206 Boris 3,746,260 Boris 3,797,748 Nozawa et al. 3,799,448 Nozawa et al. 3,923,250 Boris ______________________________________
Many of the previously proposed atomizer valve assemblies provided for actuation of an actuator having a nozzle therein, such actuation causing the compression of a metered amount of liquid which is to be atomized as it is dispensed, followed by the opening of a valve within the assembly to permit the now pressurized metered amount of liquid to escape through the nozzle in an atomized spray. Examples of where this is accomplished in one stroke during the depression of an actuator on top of the assembly are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,746,260 and 3,923,250, referred to above. In these patents, a metered amount of liquid is first compressed when the actuator is depressed. The pressure of the metered amount of liquid is communicated to a chamber where a piston connected to a needle valve is spring biased to a needle valve closed position. As the pressure of the liquid in this chamber increases, the piston is moved against the spring, thereby to open the needle valve, allowing the pressurized liquid in the metering chamber to flow around the needle and out the needle valve through the nozzle in the actuator.
The atomizer valve assembly of the present invention provides a different configuration, arrangement and assembly of parts for achieving first a compression of a metered amount of liquid, followed by the opening of a needle valve to dispense the pressurized liquid through a nozzle in an actuator. Also, it is believed that the atomizer valve assembly of the present invention provides advantages over the previously proposed atomizer valve assemblies, e.g., the advantages being simpler in construction and operation and being less expensive. Also, the specific construction, arrangement and operation of the parts of the present atomizer valve assembly have been found to provide a desired fine spray or puff of liquid without liquid drops dripping from the nozzle after spraying is completed.